Sons of Odin
by Emily21a
Summary: Thor and Loki weren't always full grown gods, taking down enemies and fighting one another. They were once children, who fought together, played together, and grew up together. This is my idea of what their youth may have been like. Artwork for the cover is mine. ;)
1. Chapter 1

**Sons of Odin**

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**Chapter 1**

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**A/N: Hey guys! i was actually really excited about posting this one. I think it's one of my favorites I've written yet. :)**

**The way this story is going to go is a little different from my other stories. The writing and all will be the same, but there's a very critical part that you have to understand. The chapters aren't necessarily in succession. The next chapter may have our little Odinsons as teens. And maybe the third chapter will have them very young again. It just depends on what my mind brings about. There's no telling, as my mind is a scary place. ;)**

**I have a poll on my profile that I'd like you to check out. It's about my other story in progress, "My name is..." On the last of the month (March), I will look to see which has the most votes. Then I will remove that character from the poll and write their chapter. Then I'll ask you to vote again on the two remaining characters. After the next month (April), I will check again to see who has the most votes and write their chapter. After that, I will take down the poll and write the last character's chapter. If this doesn't make sense, or you have any questions, PM me. :)**

**Beta: Ecotiger. Thanks so much! It really means a lot to me!**

**Rating info: ****I****'ve got this at K-plus now, just to be safe. I'm not sure if there will be any sorts of violence in future chapters. If I do put in any violence, I may bump it up to T. I don't want to get in trouble. There won't be anything bad in here, though. Nothing disgustingly violent, and absolutely no language. I hate bad language, so that won't ever happen. There may be _slight _romance, but nothing more than holding hands or maybe a kiss. There isn't anything worse than that, I can promise you. If you have any questions about the ratings at all, PM me, and I'll be happy to rid ****you of confusion.**

**Disclaimer for the _entire story_: I don't own any recognizable characters/names/places/events. ;)**

**Sorry for the overly long A/N, but I just wanted to inform you of everything. Read and Review!**

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Thor Odinson, the four year old son of Odin Borson, runs through the halls of the palace, holding his wooden sword high above his head. His little boots thud and his matted blond mop of hair flies behind him. His 'battle cry' rings through the air and echoes off the grand walls and marble pillars which line the halls. A makeshift cloak he made of his mother's drapes flaps behind him, tied around his neck in a huge knot. His bright blue eyes sparkle and glint. His mouth is turned down in a scowl; the boy's effort to appear strong and warrior-like. His rounded cheeks are flushed from his escapade.

The boy turns a corner and stops. As he looks around his new surroundings, he realizes that he doesn't know where he is. He has never been in this part of the palace before. He lets his sword drop down to his side. The tip hits the floor with a dull clunk.

The room he is in now is very large. There are elaborate tapestries hanging on the walls. Heavy curtains are drawn over the window. There are lots of strange things piled around the room. Stacks of books, a broken mirror, an old bed, a giant birdcage, and a loom are all very interesting. The thing that holds Thor's attention, however, is a sword leaning in a corner, covered in cobwebs.

Thor makes his way over the mounds of curious objects over to the sword, leaving his pretend weapon behind. His 'cloak' gets snagged in something that looks oddly like a hand and he is forced to abandon it, as well. By the time he reaches the object of his endeavors, he has lost a boot, as well. He takes the sword in his hands, mouth open. He knows he can't carry it through all the stuff he had to crawl over to get to it. He lifts it, tongue sticking out with the effort. He looks over the piles of things. He can't carry it, but throwing it would make too much sound. His eyes finally land on a rug. He can throw it onto that, and it would hardly make any noise at all!

He gets ready to throw the sword, hoisting it up higher over his head. As he tosses it, he lets out a grunt. It tumbles through the air, flipping over itself. It lands nicely on the rug and Thor's face lights up in a grin. He clambers over to it, struggling over some of the objects that point up more. When he gets over to it, he picks it up, bracing it against his stomach. The weapon is taller than he is, making it more than a bit hard to lift. He takes an experimental swing and it tips forward. He frowns and tries again. This time, it stays mostly level. He smiles and starts to slash the air around himself. He gets close to the wall - closer than he had meant to. The next swing rips through one of the tapestries.

Thor looks over to the door to make sure no one is there. When he sees that he is still alone, he sets the sword on the floor and pads over to the tapestry. His breath seems very loud and his heart beats against his chest painfully. He raises a hand and runs a chubby finger over the edge of the tear.

He can't let Mumma see this. Or Dada. He tenses in fear when he thinks of what his parents would say if they saw what he had done. It would be even worse if Nurse saw what had happened. This thought is even worse than his parents. Nurse would surely punish him, and it wouldn't be an easy punishment, either.

The fear of being caught with the torn tapestry sets Thor in motion. He scoots the sword under the rug and takes up his own wooden sword. He looks at his cloak, trying to decide whether or not to fetch it. In the end, he just leaves it and runs from the room. He closes the door quickly behind him. He doesn't even notice that he left his boot back in the strange room.

* * *

That evening at dinner, Thor sits quietly, sliding his food around on his plate. No one knows about the accident. He has kept silent all day. He is actually a bit surprised by how long he has kept it a secret. Usually, he breaks down and tells his mother when he does something wrong. But not this time. He can't tell her this time. If he does, he will surely be punished.

His mother's soft, gentle voice pulls Thor from his dreadful thoughts.

"Are you alright, Thor? You have been acting strangely all day."

Thor shrugs, not looking at her. He lifts his glass to take a drink, but when he looks down at the water, he changes his mind and sets it back on the table. He hasn't eaten anything, save nibbling on a roll.

"Is it your father? Are you worried about him?"

Thor jumps at the chance to cover up his real reason for being so quiet and says, "Yes, Mumma. I want Dada to come home."

Frigga says lightly, "Do not fret, so, Thor. He will be here soon. The war is over, and you can count on your father to come home as quickly as he can. He loves you, and he does not like being away from you."

Thor nods. He takes another small bite of his roll. Frigga has a feeling that it isn't just his father that has upset Thor so much. He gets letters from Odin every so often, so he knows that he is well. He has been gone for two years, though. It is understandable that the boy would miss his father, but he has taken it so well up to this point.

"Has someone picked on you, my darling?"

Thor shakes his head, wrinkling up his nose. "No, Mumma. Nobody picks on me!"

Frigga has to laugh softly at that. She should have known better. But if that isn't what's wrong, then what is? It's frustrating as a mother to not know what's going on with your little boy. He has never acted this way for as long as he has today, and he only ever acts this way when he has either gotten himself in trouble or he is bothered by something. A small smile spreads on Frigga's lips.

"Thor, have you done something you should not have done?"

The way the boy looks up sharply gives her the answer she needed. So Thor has done something wrong. That's all.

"What happened?"

Thor fidgets in his seat, not wanting to tell her. He can feel her gaze on him. She knows! But she doesn't know what it was that he did. Maybe he can just tell her that he did something small. Something that won't get him into as much trouble. But it has to be something that he would actually do. Of course!

"I was in the gardens today, and I ran over some of the flowers."

Frigga frowns and sits back in her chair. "Oh? Would you care to tell me which ones?"

Thor mumbles something, but it is nearly inaudible. Frigga raises an eyebrow. She opens her mouth to speak, but Thor cuts her off.

"I don't know which ones they were."

Frigga nods slowly. She says, "Well, after you finish eating, you can show me."

Thor looks up at her again, his eyes wide and round. His mouth drops open. She has a slightly triumphant smile on her lips. Thor holds his head in his hands. There's no way out of it now. He's going to have to show her some trampled flowers, but he has no trampled flowers to show. He hasn't trampled any.

* * *

After miserably finishing his dinner, Thor trudges into his room to put on some new boots. His mother had insisted that he wear them instead of the slippers he had worn to dinner. He flops onto his stomach beside his bed to rummage around in all his boots and shoes under it. It takes him forever to find a pair that match. He looks sadly at his lone boot sitting beside his door. He hadn't gotten its counterpart from the odd room. That pair had been his favorite. He assures himself that he will be able to get it later. He makes a secret plan to get it tonight, after he is supposed to be in bed.

He pulls on the new boots and stands. He looks down at them and wiggles his toes. They aren't like his other ones, but they'll have to do for now.

He plods over to the door and opens it. He finds his mother standing on the other side, waiting. She steps back for him to be able to come out. When he closes the door and looks up at her, she waves her hand down the hall, indicating that he should lead the way. He swallows the lump in his throat and starts walking. He can tell that he walks strangely, because it feels all wrong.

After a few wrong turns and odd looks from people in the halls, they finally make it to Frigga's gardens. The sun is going down, and Thor knows that he has to think fast. He doesn't have a lot of time left to show her some crushed flowers. If she doesn't see any, she'll know that he lied, and he will have to show her what he really did.

Frigga says, "Lead on, Thor. Show me the flowers."

Thor walks through the garden, searching for some flowers that may have already been flattened. He has no luck. He looks back to make sure that Frigga isn't looking. When he sees that she is looking away, he steps on some of the lower growing flowers.

He calls, "Here they are, Mumma!"

Frigga walks over to him with all the grace a queen should hold. Her hands are clasped in front of her, down by her stomach. She takes small steps, her feet never once peeping out from under her skirts. When she reaches Thor, she looks down at the flowers and her face falls.

"Thor, I have asked you to be more careful. Especially around these!"  
Thor turns his eyes back down to the flowers and his heart fills with dread. The flowers that he chose to step on are, or maybe we should say _were_, some of his mother's favorite flowers. He looks up at her, his eyes filling with tears. He can't seem to get out of trouble today.

Frigga takes in his little face, with tears running down his toddler cheeks and his bottom lip trembling. She kneels down and sweeps him into a hug, holding him close to her chest. She murmurs softly, "It's okay, my darling. It's alright. They're only flowers. I can plant more if they don't grow back. Please don't cry, my child."

Thor melts into her embrace, his small body shaking with sobs. He grabs a fistful of her dress and pulls himself as close to her as he possibly can get. He has never needed her to love him so much. He feels like he can only mess up today. He's scared that she won't like him anymore. He lets out a particularly loud sob and she gently lifts him onto her lap.

"Hush, my love…..my darling little Thor…hush….."

Thor burrows his face in her chest, trying to hide. She strokes his hair gently, murmuring soft comforts to him. After a little while, his sobs slow down. He shifts in her arms and looks up at her.  
"Mumma, do you still love me?"

Frigga's own eyes fill with tears. She nods and says softly, "My sweet little prince. Thor, I will always love you. No matter what you do, no matter what happens, no matter how much you change. I will always love you with my entire heart."

Thor nods and snuggles closer to her. She stands, holding him in her arms. She carries him back to his room. By the time they get there, he is asleep, his face tucked close against her. She sits him on the bed and gently pulls off his boots. She sets them beside the bed. Then she removes his shirt and replaces it with his sleep shirt. She changes him into his sleep pants, as well. He stays mostly asleep through it all. Frigga lifts him up again and pulls his blankets back. She settles him down again and wraps the blankets around him, making sure he is wrapped up well. The nights can get cold sometimes.

Frigga walks out of the room silently, eyeing the stray boot curiously. She shakes her head, deciding that Thor has probably just hidden the other somewhere. She closes the door quietly behind her. Little did she know that Thor is still awake, and waiting for his chance to retrieve his boot and cloak.

* * *

About three hours later, Thor slides out of his bed and pulls on his soft shoes from Alfheim. These are best for sneaking around after bedtime. He pads to the door and opens it slowly, being as quiet as he can. He peers out into the hall to make sure that no one is there before slipping out.

Once he is in the hall, Thor realizes that he has no idea where the room was. He found it by accident. He thinks he can remember where to go from the dining hall, though. He decides to head there first, so he doesn't get lost first thing.

He creeps through the halls, keeping an eye out for anyone who may be coming or going. Thankfully, he makes it to the dining hall without any problems. He stands there and thinks, trying to remember where the room was. Surely he can find it, if he can only remember where it was. He has an excellent memory. At least, that's what his tutor tells him. If he could put that memory to good use, he'll be able to find the room.

After a while of thinking, Thor makes up his mind to just walk around until he finds it. The palace can't be that big, right? He'll be able to find it in an hour or so.

It takes the boy almost three hours to find the room. The only thing that kept him going was the need for his boot. He just can't go on without his boot. It's his special, lucky boot. They are the best to run in, and they are the best to play in. He does these things all day, every day. He has to have the right equipment, so there is really no other choice.

Before he opens the door, he presses his ear to it to make sure that no one is on the other side. When he determines it to be safe, he opens it and walks in. The room is very dark now. Almost too dark to see. Thor is scared of the dark, though he would never tell anyone. He wishes that he had brought a candle or a lantern so that he could see. He tells himself that if his dada isn't afraid of the dark, then he isn't, either. He steps into the room, bravely putting in a foot. He is greatly pleased to find that no monsters bite it off. He takes another step in and squints into the dark. He realizes that if he squints hard enough, he can see a little better. Better than opening his eyes as wide as they go, at least.

Once his eyes are as adjusted to the dark as they will get, he walks into the room further. He stumbles over the sword under the rug and falls onto his stomach. He gets onto his hands and knees to crawl around. He won't fall this way.

Thor runs his hands over the floor, searching for his boot. It has to be in here. He just has to find out where. He remembers it getting stuck on something when he was climbing. He's a little scared to climb in the dark, though. He won't know what he's putting his hands on if he can't see, which he is having trouble doing. After a moment of prep-talking himself, he decides that he will climb. He will find his boot. He can do this!

Halfway up the first mound, he changes his mind and scoots back down. This happens several times. Around the tenth time trying, he hears a voice outside the door. He squeaks and climbs down the pile. He scampers over to the corner of the room and hides as best he can.

The voice is joined by another and Thor sucks in a breath to listen.

"He is small, for his kind."

Mother's voice. Thor wonders who she is speaking to, and who they are speaking of.

"Yes. He was left in a temple. I believe that he may have been offered as a sacrifice before the battle."

Father's voice! He's back! But who are they talking about? Has he brought someone back?

"They do not appreciate the beauty of life. I do not think I will ever understand them."

"Neither shall I, my wife. I do not think that anyone save their own kind can understand them."

There is silence for a moment, and Thor doesn't dare to breathe. His heart pounds. He feels like he needs to find out who they are speaking about. It has to be a small someone. Otherwise, they would be making sound, too. Maybe it's some sort of animal. That would make sense. Only animals should be offered as sacrifices.

"Will you let me care for him, Odin? Can we raise him as our own?"

Thor frowns. Maybe it isn't an animal.  
"Yes, of course. We will have another son, whether he is of our blood or not."

Thor stifles a gasp. Another son! Does that mean that they don't love him anymore? Is he going to be replaced?

Before he can stop himself, Thor bursts out of the room. His parents are startled, to say the least. They look down at him, surprise etched into their expressions. Thor sees a bundle in his mother's arms. It's shaped like a baby. So he was right. Whoever it is, they're very small. He looks up at Odin as if he has been betrayed and cast out.

"What is this?"

Odin looks at Frigga before saying carefully, "This is your new brother, Thor. He is sleeping now, so please do not wake him up. He cries very loudly when he is woken."

Thor puts his hands on his hips and glares up at his father. He doesn't like this new baby. He doesn't like him at all. He is going to be their new favorite, Thor can tell. It isn't fair. He is the prince of Asgard, and no one else is.

"I don't like him."

Odin looks taken aback. He says quietly, "I think you will grow to love him, Thor. You hardly know him."

Thor shakes his head. "No, I don't like him now and I never will."

Frigga looks sad. She says, "Maybe if you were to see him, you would like him more."

Thor looks skeptical, but nods. "Maybe."

He actually really wants to see this baby. Maybe he will like him. Maybe the baby won't be as bad as he thinks he will be. Thor secretly hopes that he will like the baby. He always wondered what it would be like to have a brother. It must be better than having friends.

Frigga gets down to her knees so that Thor can see the baby. As soon as the boy sees the little infant, he breaks into a grin. Frigga gently transfers the bundle to Thor's arms. He takes it carefully. Frigga stands back up and looks over at Odin. They both look very relieved.

After a moment, Frigga says softly, "Thor, you should really get back to bed. I'm sure that the baby would rather sleep in a bed that in our arms all night, as well."

Thor nods reluctantly. He hands the infant back to Frigga, his eyes still glued to the tiny face. He already loves the little baby. He doesn't see how he couldn't, either. The little one is just too cute!

Thor looks over to his father and asks, "What is his name?"

Odin searches his mind for a Jotun name. All of the ones he comes up with seem too harsh for the babe. After a moment, he says softly, "Loki. I think his name should be Loki."

Thor nods, thinking over the name. A second later, he grins. "I like that name. Loki. Loki Odinson."

Odin nods, smiling back down at his son. He and Frigga take Thor back to his room. He falls asleep almost immediately, a smile on his face. He dreams of his new brother, and all the things that they will be able to do when he gets bigger.

* * *

Frigga settles Loki down into Thor's old crib. Odin watches as she fusses over the child, a faint smile on his face. They had been trying again for another son, but they weren't able to have any more children. Now it is as if the Norns blessed them with another child. It may not be of their blood, but it is going to be theirs. Who knew that so much good could come out of war? There was more than victory given to the Asgardians this day.

When Frigga turns around, she sees a thoughtful look in Odin's eye. She smiles and walks over to him. She wraps her arms around him and he does the same to her. It takes them a while, but they finally pull apart and are able to get changed into their nightclothes. Once they are changed, they tumble into bed and fall asleep in one another's arms, neither of them noticing the missing drape that usually hangs over the window.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: SO sorry for taking so long! I've been writing other things, and it's been taking up my writing reserves. I also just haven't had the drive to come on here. Hopefully I will more often. Chances are, if you leave a review, I'll be more likely to come on and write more. It makes me want to give you more when I know you like it. ;)**

**Thanks again to ****_ecotiger_**** for being my beta! :D**

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**Chapter 2**

The following week is, needless to say, very busy. Frigga and Odin are doing their best to get used to another baby. However, they seem to have forgotten how. The days are hard, but the nights are harder. Neither of them get very much sleep. Finally, Frigga goes to Odin.

"My dear, I think we should make a nursery for him. I rather enjoyed my nights, and they seem to have all but disappeared."

Odin has to chuckle a bit at that. He looks tired, himself. There is no way that he can't agree. He longs for quiet nights that offer rest and relaxation. Not these nights, taken by a baby's screams.

"Yes. I believe you are right. Though he can't be too far away. He never calms unless you are there."

Frigga nods slightly. She thinks for a moment before saying, "What about that room Thor was in last week? The one he burst out of. I don't recall anything being in there. Even if there is, we can move it. It won't be too hard."

"Of course. I can send someone in there now, or we can go together, whichever you prefer."

Frigga smiles faintly and says, "I think we should go together. Thor has to come, too. He has grown rather fond of Loki."

It is true, and that's why Odin's smile stretches. Thor has indeed grown fond of Loki. He can almost always be found in his parents' room, leaning over the edge of the crib with his toes barely touching the floor. He tries to get Loki to play with the toys that litter the floor, but the infant just stares up at him with his huge emerald eyes.

If Loki is sleeping, Thor will sit next to the crib and build something with his own toys for his little brother to see when he wakes. When his eyes open, Thor points to his creation and Loki will stare. He smiles sometimes, but he never laughs. He is normally very quiet, unless he is screaming for something in the dead of night, when the entire palace is asleep.

"Very well, darling. Go get the boys ready and I will meet you there."

* * *

"It's a nice room, really. Once we clean up all the mess, that is," Frigga says, scanning the room.

Odin lights the torch on the wall and the room is lit up. Thor looks down at his feet. He can't believe they chose this room. Of all the rooms in the palace, they choose this one. Certainly there was one closer to their own chambers that they could have picked. They will definitely find his mess now. Just as this thought crosses his mind, his mother lets out a sharp gasp.

"Oh, goodness! That's horrible!"

Frigga is standing in front of the tapestry, her hands over her mouth. She is looking at the tear in the tapestry. She reaches out and runs a finger over the edge of the tear, as Thor had done when it first happened. After a moment, she turns around and looks at Thor. She looks extremely upset.

"Thor! What were you doing in here? Do you know what this is?"

Thor shakes his head, backing up slightly. "I didn't mean to, Mumma! I didn't know what it was. I didn't mean to rip it, I swear!"  
Frigga shakes her head and says, "Don't say that. Never say that." She sighs before adding, "Thor, please tell me. Why were you in here?"

Thor looks down at the floor. He seems to be trying to hide from having to answer her question. Finally he looks up and mutters, "I was bored. I just found the room and thought it would be fun to play in."

Frigga frowns. "It was in the middle of the night. You were supposed to be in bed. What possessed you to come out in the middle of the night and find a room to play in? You should have been asleep."

Thor says quietly, "I found it earlier. In the daytime. I didn't mean to be bad, Mumma. I didn't know that I shouldn't have come in. I just wanted to play."

Frigga runs a hand over her forehead and looks to Odin. His face is shadowed. He looks down at Thor, who turns his round blue eyes up to him, and frowns slightly.

"Thor. When you find a room like this, you should not stay. What you have done cannot be fixed. You have ruined your mother's tapestry, which she received as a gift from her mother on the eve of our wedding. Your grandmother made it. You see, things like this are precious. They cannot be replaced, or ever properly mended. You have done a horrible thing, Thor. As a prince, you must learn to be more careful."

Thor nods, his lip trembling and tears running down his face. He turns his eyes up to Frigga, but she just looks down at him coldly. This just hurts him even more. She said she would always love him. She is obviously angry, though. Why is it so bad? He knows that tapestries can be fixed. Some of the other ones in the palace have been fixed before. So why is it that this one can't be?

"Thor, you should go to your room. Don't come out until your nurse fetches you for dinner."

Thor accepts his punishment, his head down. He trudges his way back to his bedroom, his tears now pouring down. Some of them fall to the floor. When he finally reaches his room, he lies down on his bed, face down, and sobs.

* * *

The next thing Thor knows is that someone has entered his room. He falls still, hoping that they will just go away. He doesn't want to see anybody. He just wants to be left alone. He doesn't even want to go to dinner. He wants to be by himself in his bedroom.

The person doesn't leave, though. They come over to his bed. The side of the bed dips down slightly as the person sits. A soft hand rests on his shoulder. Thor knows that it is his mother's hand. He knows that hand well. He doesn't know why she is in here, though. Why would his mother want to come visit him if he was such a bad boy? Why is she in here as if she wants to comfort him?

"Thor, please look at me. I know you are awake."

Thor doesn't move. He doesn't make a sound. He doesn't want to look at his mother. He wants her to leave. He knows that she is still disappointed in him. She never forgets anything so quickly. Never. Especially not something that she was angry with him about. So if she is still angry with him, then why is she here to see him?

"I'm not here to punish you, Thor. I'm here to make it better."

Thor looks up at that. He sees that her eyes are red from her own tears. Her nose is also pink. She smiles at him, though. He knows he must look confused.

"I still love you, my son. Remember what I said? How I will always love you? No matter what?"

Thor nods slightly and Frigga goes on.

"Well, I wasn't lying. I love you even though you tore the tapestry. I love you even though you lied to me. I want you to know that I will always love you. Never doubt that, okay?"

Thor shrugs and Frigga feels more tears welling up in her eyes. She pulls Thor up to sit against her and puts a hand on his head. She gently rocks side to side. After a moment, she starts to sing him a song. It's a song that she sings him every night. Even if he is asleep, she sings it to him.

Thor looks up at her and asks softly, "Why do you love me? I'm bad. I lied to you about the flowers. I lied at first about the room. I tore your…taperty. How come you still love me?"

Frigga smiles faintly and answers gently, "I am your mother. I love you no matter what. Don't you understand that?"

Thor shakes his head. "No. I don't understand. You were angry before, but now you aren't. How come you change so much?"

Frigga laughs lightly. "Thor, I change a lot. Everybody does. I won't stay angry with you. That isn't good. You should never stay angry at anybody. Always forgive them. Don't hold grudges, Thor."

The boy nods slightly. He snuggles up against Frigga and says quietly, "I really am sorry, Mumma. I didn't mean to rip it."

"I know, my son. But you should be careful, as your father said. I'm not mad at you anymore. Just please be more careful."

Thor nods. The room is silent for a little while. Frigga keeps stroking his hair and rocking. She doesn't sing anymore, though. She wants to be sure that Thor can speak if he wants to. He always seems to hold back if there is too much noise already, though. It turns out that Thor does want to speak.

"Mumma? Is that room really going to be Loki's room now?"

Frigga looks down at him and says, "Yes, dear. Loki will sleep in there. We are going to have some magic put in there so that we can hear and see him from our room, though. That way we can still be sure that he is safe."

This excites Thor and he bounces slightly. "Magic!? You're going to put magic? That's so cool! Will I be able to see it?"

Frigga laughs and nods. "Of course. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to. But you mustn't play with it. That might mess it up."

Thor nods, his face very serious. "I've had enough of messing stuff up, Mumma. I won't touch it. I won't even look at it too hard."

Frigga laughs again and ruffles Thor's hair gently.

* * *

The next day is full of excitement. The servants help to move the things that were already in the room. In the process, Thor gets back his boot, which he hugs. Frigga also finds out where her drapes went. She doesn't get mad at her son, though. Instead, she laughs and ties it around his neck gently, making him grin.

They are very careful with the tapestry, taking care not to rip it even further. It is taken to a woman in Alfheim, who is said to be the best tapestry maker in all the worlds. They found out that she taught Frigga's mother, so she should be able to easily fix up the accident. Frigga doesn't seem to mind that it is torn too much anymore. She is upset, yes, but she has gotten over it. She knows it will be mended, so she is considerably more relaxed than she was before.

Thor does the best he can to help move things. He can't carry much, though, and ends up making larger messes, which the servants have to clean up after him. He does succeed in moving some of the paintings out into the hall. They are being put around the palace in different halls. There are hundreds of them, and Thor can't help but wonder how in the world they all fit into one room. Some of them are larger than he is. Others are very small, no larger than his head. They are all beautiful, though. One of the paintings, Thor's favorite, is a warrior clad in full armor, clutching a sword which he holds high in the air proudly. Frigga allows him to have it in his room since he likes it so much.

It takes a few hours to get the room completely empty. Once it is cleaned out, though, Thor realizes just how large the room is. It's huge; at least as large as his own. It only has one room, but the one it has is so spacious that the lack of rooms isn't a problem.

Frigga leaves the room, returning a few moments later in an older dress, paintbrushes in her hands. Her hair is pinned up to keep it out of the way. A few servants follow, carrying more brushes and paint containers. Frigga hands Thor a paintbrush. He looks surprised, but happy.

"I can paint, too?"

Frigga nods, smiling. She says, "Yes, my dear."

Thor beams up at her. He dips the brush into the paint and is about to smear it on the wall when Frigga's gentle hand stops him. When he looks up at her, she smiles down at him.

"Let me show you how first."

Thor nods and Frigga demonstrates how he should paint, using long strokes. He watches intently, really wanting to make her happy after messing up so much. Frigga motions for him to try. When he does, he follows her tips. It actually looks pretty nice.  
"Good job, Thor. Keep on that way and we'll be done in no time!" Frigga says, smiling happily down at him.

While Frigga and Thor work on the back wall, two pairs of servants work on the side walls. They get done before the queen and prince, but they don't have near as much fun. Frigga and Thor laugh the entire time they paint, and by the time their wall is finished, they are both covered in paint.

Odin comes in just after the entire room is painted. He looks around the soft blues and whites of the room and smiles. The smile grows when he sees his wife and son. Frigga moves over to him and smudges a bit of blue paint on his nose. Odin actually laughs about this. He kisses Frigga's forehead.

"Well done, everyone. I'm sure Loki will love it. The carpenters have agreed to make Loki's furniture, as they did Thor's. They should be done in a few days. "  
Frigga smiles and says, "Good. I just know it will be beautiful."

* * *

The next few days pass by much too slowly for Thor's taste. He spends a lot of time with Loki, playing with him. Frigga takes them out to the garden and they play in the grass while she plants new flowers in the space of the crushed ones.

"Why don't you ever laugh, Loki? There's lots to laugh about. See that funny little bug right there? Why don't you laugh at that?"

Loki just stares at the bug, his eyes still sleepy. He lies on a blanket, surrounded by toys and things Thor has brought him from the garden. He seems to be stuck on his back, for he moves very little. Thor notices this when he gives up trying to make Loki laugh at the bug.

"Hey, you're like a little turtle! Do you like turtles?"

Loki makes a face and Thor falls onto his back, wriggling around like he is stuck, himself. He says, "See, I'm a turtle, too!"

Loki looks at him intently before wiggling slightly. Thor laughs and Loki grins, wiggling even more. Thor squirms with him. Every so often he will stop and look over at the baby. When he does, Loki will stop and look at him expectantly. If Thor scrunches up his nose while he wriggles, so will Loki. If Thor laughs, Loki will grin.

Thor rolls over onto his stomach and Loki tries to do the same. He can't, though, and he screws up his face as though he were about to cry. Thor gently takes his hand, though, and says softly, "Don't cry. I'll help you."

He gets on his knees and carefully lifts Loki up. The baby is still in his brother's arms, looking at him curiously. Thor turns Loki over so he is stomach down. Loki sticks his arms and legs out, ready to catch himself if Thor drops him. He doesn't like not being able to see the older boy, but he doesn't fuss about it. Thor gently lowers the baby down so his hands and knees touch the ground. He knows that his baby brother can't hold himself up yet, so he keeps his hands on his tummy. Then he starts to move around. Loki picks up his hands and knees, scared at first. Thor consoles him and tells him that he won't drop him. Loki gradually calms down and puts his knees back on the ground.

"See, it's not so bad. Don't be scared."

Loki picks up his hands again and Thor sighs. "You can't just keep doing that. I promise it won't hurt."

If Loki could see him, he would stick out his tongue. But he can't, so he just looks at the ground accusingly. Then he lets his hands and knees back down and Thor moves him. When Loki lifts his hand, Thor almost gives up. Then he sees that Loki is doing his best to crawl. He keeps moving forward and Loki keeps up his attempts at crawling.

Thor almost doesn't believe his ears when he hears Loki's tiny gurgles. He stops and Loki stretches out his hands, trying to move forward. Thor gently sets him down on the blanket. Loki stumbles without the support and falls onto his stomach. He turns his face quickly enough, though, and doesn't get hurt. He starts crying anyway, making Thor's eyes go wide.

Frigga's head pops up over the flowering bushes and she calls, "Thor, what's wrong? Is he okay?"

Thor looks up at her and says, "I don't know. I was just trying to teach him to crawl, and he fell!"

Frigga stands up and hurries over. She scoops Loki up into her arms and holds him close. Looking down at Thor, she says, "He isn't old enough to crawl, yet. I'm not mad, don't worry. Just give him a little more time, okay?"

Thor nods. When Loki sees him, he reaches his arms out toward him. Frigga looks mildly surprised, but hands him over to her first son. Loki grins up at Thor and he smiles back down. Loki laughs. It is a soft, adorable little sound. Frigga's smile stretches across her face. Thor laughs along with Loki, making the baby laugh even more.

"I knew you'd laugh someday!"

* * *

The following day, five days after the room was painted, the furniture from Nidavellir, the home of the dwarves, arrives. Thor excitedly peers through his window as the little dwarves carry it up to the palace doors. When he can't see them through the window anymore, he runs out of his room, down to the main floor. He joins his mother as she and Odin lead the dwarves to the room where Loki will now sleep. Frigga holds the baby, allowing him to watch. And watch he does. His bright green eyes are peeled open as far as they will go as he stares at the dwarves. He seems just as in awe as Thor, even if he doesn't really understand what is going on.

The dwarves are very short, only a few inches taller than Thor, but they carry the furniture extremely easily. Their bushy beards and eyebrows cover most of their faces. Only their large noses show through the masses of hair. Their legs are short and thick, but they somehow walk quietly. There is no stomping or shuffling of their feet. Instead, they walk nearly silently.

Frigga directs them on where to put the furniture. Once it is all in the room, it looks very nice. The dark, rich color of the wood compliments the soft colors of the wall. Odin thanks the dwarves and pays them. As they walk out, one of them smiles at Thor. He can only tell that he is smiling by the slight upturning of the mustache. The dwarf presses something small into Thor's hand and moves on.

Thor doesn't even look at whatever it is, but puts it into his pocket. He watches as the dwarves all file out, one after the other. He waves them off, a small smile on his face. Loki imitates him, his lips spreading in a toothless smile.

* * *

Later in the evening, Loki is settled into his new bed, sleeping softly. Odin is carrying Thor to his bedroom, Frigga close behind them. Thor almost fell asleep as they were putting Loki into bed, and now that he is in his father's arms, he is deep into sleep. He had already bathed and changed into his night clothes, so Odin gently settles him in bed. He places a whiskery kiss on his son's forehead and steps back for Frigga. She moves over and does the same, minus the whiskers. She pulls Thor's blankets up around his shoulders, making sure that he is covered up well.

On the way out, Odin puts out the light. He closes the door quietly and leads Frigga by the arm back to their chambers. They snuggle up in bed together, trying to keep warm. It's been getting colder now that winter is fast approaching. Not even the fire burning gently warms up the room enough. They have to pile up blankets and sleep close to be warm enough at night.

Just as they drift off into a light sleep, Loki's wails ring through the palace.

* * *

**A/N: I hope this is enough to hold you all over until next time. I'm not sure how long it will be. I'm trying to get ideas for Bruce's chapter of my other story, for those of you who read that. I'm having trouble, though. If you have any ideas, fling them at me!**

**In the meantime, if you haven't already read my other stories, go ahead and do so. They're pretty good. ;)**

**Ciao for now!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

**A/N: This took a lot longer than I thought it would. I want to apologize. It's been much too long, I know. I hope you like it all the same!**

* * *

"Loki, what's taking you so long?" bellows Thor, banging on his brother's door. "It doesn't take that long to get dressed!"

Loki opens the door a second later, grinning. He's a full five years old now, and he is finally allowed to go out to play with Thor's friends. He's heard a lot about them, since Thor never ceases speaking about the amazing adventures they go on together. Now he'll be able to go with them!

Thor beams down at his little brother and takes his hand. Even though Loki insists that he is a big boy now, he always loves to hold his older brother's hand. It doesn't hurt to have a little protection when one is so small.

"They're waiting in the training grounds. They can't wait to meet you, you know."  
Loki can't keep the smile off his face. He doesn't want to, anyway. They can't wait to meet him. Nobody has ever been excited to see Loki before. They smile at him, and sometimes ask him his name and what he likes to do best. But since he gives such odd answers, they don't ask him what he likes doing anymore. They still ask his name out of politeness, though.

They walk through the palace halls until they reach the huge golden doors that lead out into the palace grounds. Loki has only been in the palace grounds a few times, and always with his nurse or mother. Thor has been out a lot, and he plays with his friends all the time. He sometimes invites them over, but Loki has always been too shy to say hello. He never thought they would want to meet him.

The guards, who stand on either side of the huge doors, open them up for the boys to go through. The doors are much too large for the brothers to be able to open them. Thor thanks the guards, and they smile down at the children.

Thor leads Loki down the pathway that leads to the gates. He points out a few little birds and a butterfly. Loki is amazed by flying things, and Thor loves to see his face light up whenever he sees one. Loki nearly trips over a loose stone, but Thor keeps him up. Loki is again thankful that his older brother doesn't mind holding his hand.

When they finally reach the gate, Thor hands one of the guards a slip of paper from their mother, stating that Loki is allowed to go out with Thor this time. The man nods and his partner opens up the gate.

Loki has never been outside the gate before. He has this strange notion that everything is different outside of the gate. Like if he stepped through the opening, he would be changed. He has no basis for this thought. No one has ever told him that. But he has read enough stories to have his imagination run full tilt at times like this.

"Thor, am I going to be different if I go through there? Is it a portal that will take us to another realm? Are you sure it's safe? Did you change and I just don't remember it?"

Thor laughs and says, "No, Loki. You won't change, it's not a portal, I'm sure it's safe, and no, I haven't changed. Now come on, they're _waiting!_"

Loki nods slightly and steps over. When he discovers that he is the same, and he hasn't left Asgard, he pulls Thor through and grins. "Let's go, let's go!"

Thor laughs again and they run through the streets on their way to go see Thor's friends.

* * *

When they reach the training grounds, they find a girl with dark hair sparring with a blonde boy. Loki suddenly gets shy and hides behind Thor. He peeks out from behind his brother, watching the other children. The blonde boy seems to notice them and grins, waving. The girl takes this opportunity to whack the boy on his side with her wooden sword. The boy yelps and drops his sword, but recovers and tackles the girl to the ground, pulling her hair.

Loki's eyes widen and he looks up at Thor, whispering, "Are they always so cruel?"

Maybe he doesn't want to play with Thor's friends. Not if they're going to be this rough. Thor was never mean, or too rough with him, though. He was always kind. So maybe just that girl and the boy didn't like each other. Yes, that had to be it.

"They aren't being cruel, Loki. They're just playing."

Loki's eyes go even wider and he says, "_That's _playing?"

Thor nods. He calls, "Hey guys! Stop fighting!"

Loki holds onto Thor's shirt as the two children get up off of the ground. The boy still has a handful of the girl's hair clutched in his fist. She punches his gut and he lets go. They stare at Thor and Loki for a moment. The younger of the brothers notices two other boys standing to the side. One has dark hair and small eyes, and the other is quite round, a mess of frizzy red hair on the top of his head.

Finally, the blonde boy says, "I thought you were bringing your brother, not your sister."

The other children laugh, save the dark haired boy, and the blonde smirks. Thor gives Loki's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I did. I don't have a sister. Only a brother. And I brought him."

The blonde boy raises an eyebrow. The girl asks, "Why is he hiding, then? A real boy doesn't hide."

Thor frowns. He looks back at Loki and says, "Why don't you come out and show them? They've been waiting to meet you, and you're just hiding."

Loki whispers quietly, "They think I'm a girl..."

Thor looks from his brother to his friends, then back to Loki. "Yes, they do. But you're going to have to prove to them that you're not. Do something manly."

Loki looks scared out of his boots. He says, "I've never done something manly before."

Thor frowns. This could be a problem. It's true. Loki has never done a single manly thing. But then, he's too young to do manly things, anyway. But he's great at climbing trees. Thor scans around the clearing and finds a tree not too far out.

"There. Climb that tree," he says, pointing to the tree.

Loki nods enthusiastically. He asks, "Do I do it now?"

Thor shrugs. He then turns to his friends and announces, "Loki shall climb that tree to prove that he is a boy. There will be no doubts after he completes this manly act."

The girl snorts and turns to the blonde, who is beside her. She says something softly and he nods, smirking again. Loki walks over to the tree and starts climbing easily. Thor moves over to his friends and stands beside the large one.

"He climbs like a squirrel, your brother does," remarks the blonde boy.

Loki is halfway up the tree, his tongue sticking out with the effort it takes to climb. He gets up to the branches and straddles one, scooting along it until he can see them more easily. He lies on his stomach, balanced on the branch perfectly, and waves down at them. He has a smile on his face, the space between his front teeth showing.

Thor gestures toward him and says, "See!? A perfect boy!"

The girl scoffs again and says, "Even I can climb trees. It's not that manly an act."

The blonde grins and says, "Yes, but Sif, we all know that you aren't the most ladylike of girls."

Sif nails his shoulder, causing him to yelp. When she looks up at Loki, though, he can see a tinge of admiration in her eyes. He had impressed her, at least. That was saying something, seeing as she seemed to push the others around. She must be like their leader.

The blonde boy says, "You can come down now! We all believe you!"

Thor nods and Loki hangs down from the branch, dangling his legs. Thor grins as he drops down silently and runs back over to the group. He takes Thor's hand again, not ashamed in the least.

"Now," Thor says, puffing up his chest, "time for introductions."

Thor goes on to introduce his friends. Loki finds that the blonde's name is Fandral. The dark haired boy is Hogunn, and the large boy is named Volstagg. The girl introduces herself as Sif. Then Thor lets them all know very proudly that his brother's name is Loki.

Sif asks, "What kind of fighting style do you use?"

Loki looks up at Thor, confused. "Fighting style? What?"

Thor waves it off and says to Sif, "He doesn't fight. Not yet. Father said we aren't allowed to fight him until he's seven. Then we can. But for now, we have to do stuff that won't get him hurt."

Loki nods vigorously. Sif frowns slightly, but then nods. "Okay. That's fine. I wanted to race today, anyway."

Loki's face lights up. He's good at running, too. Maybe he'll fit in around here more than he thought he would.

* * *

"Five...four...threetwooneGO!"

The group starts off around the track used for training horses as soon as Sif's countdown is over. At first, Sif is in the lead. Then Fandral catches up to her. It's a battle between the two of them, one ahead at one minute, the other another minute. Loki falls behind quickly, but Volstagg is in the very back. Hogunn is right behind Thor, who is in third. When he sees how far back Loki has gone, Thor turns and lifts him up onto his shoulders. He takes off again, calling an apology to Volstagg. Surprisingly, he catches up to Fandral and nearly overtakes him. But just at that minute, Sif crosses the line they made of a long rope they found.

"Ha! I beat you all!" she shouts, grinning.

Fandral crosses second, and Thor third, Loki still on his shoulders. Hogunn comes in fourth. Volstagg is still a long ways off. The others call encouraging words to him, trying to get him to keep running. And keep running he does. It takes him nearly five minutes longer than the others, but he does make it over the finish line. Then he promptly falls flat on his face.

Loki slides down off of Thor's shoulders, smiling. Sif points at him and says, "You didn't really make it. Thor picked you up. You should be disqualified."

Loki looks up at Thor. The older boy says, "It doesn't really matter, Sif. It's not like we were competing for anything anyway. Besides, he's the youngest here. His legs are, like, way shorter than ours are."

Fandral nods and Hogunn does the same. Sif shrugs.

"Okay. Whatever."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the group is standing at the edge of a pond, stones in hand. They've been hurling the rocks as far into the pond as they can, seeing who can throw the farthest. Thor has been winning easily. Loki stands back farther, but even if he was close, he'd still be losing. Volstagg is actually in second this time, his rocks going nearly as far as Thor's. Sif is ahead of Fandral, in third place. Hogunn comes after Fandral, leaving Loki dead last.

As Fandral chucks his rock, overly enthusiastically, he slips in the wet grass at the edge of the pond and splashes into the water, sliding on his bottom. He pops right back up, grinning and laughing. He says, "Come on in, it feels great!"

The others join him eagerly, smiling and laughing. Loki looks a little apprehensive, but once Thor assures him that he'll be right there by him, he wades in. Soon they are all splashing each other and holding one another under the water. Finally, it's Loki's turn to be pushed under. Thor does it, since Loki doesn't really trust anyone else.

"I'll let you up if you need me to. Don't worry."

Loki nods and draws in a mouthful of air, puffing out his cheeks. Then he nods and allows Thor to push him under. At first it isn't so bad. It's a bit cold, but that's alright. Loki's fingers tightly hold his nose closed, making sure that none of the water gets in. After only a little while, though, it turns bad. His lungs start to burn and he lets out a little air.

Fandral points at the bubbles and laughs. "It looks like he farted!"

Thor laughs, and soon everyone is laughing. More bubbles come up as Loki struggles to get up. His vision is starting to go out; he had opened his eyes to see why Thor wasn't letting him up. Water gushes into his mouth and he chokes, only succeeding in drawing more in.

Thor feels him go limp and stops laughing immediately. He hauls his brother up out of the water and his eyes widen when he sees what happened. He pulls Loki up to the shore and drags him onto the grass. The others follow quickly, pale.

As soon as Sif is out of the water, she takes off running toward the village, yelling, "Help! Somebody help! Loki's drowned!"

Thor looks down at his baby brother, his heart thudding in his chest. What had he done? Surely his mother would be furious. And, worse than that, he may have killed Loki. He can't imagine how horrible it would be to have to live without his dear little brother.

Sif sees Frigga selecting apples from a corner stall, picking from a wooden crate full of red, green, and yellow fruits. The shopkeeper is chattering on and on, pleased to have the queen buying from her stall. Frigga nods every now and then, but doesn't speak. She has a graceful smile on her face. It is kind, but not too warm.

Sif shouts, "Queen Frigga! I need your help! Please, come help us!"

Frigga looks up, surprised. She sees Sif and goes over to her quickly, abandoning her basket of apples.

"What's wrong, dear? What is it?"

Sif is panting from her run, but she says, "It's Loki! He's drowning!"

Frigga's eyes go wide and she says, "Take me to him."

She seems oddly controlled. It's the duty of the queen not to get too worked up, Sif supposes. She can see the fear shining in Frigga's eyes, though, showing that she is terrified and worried for her son's wellbeing.

Sif runs back to the pond, Frigga following close behind her. When they reach them, Frigga crashes down beside Loki and pulls him into her lap. She presses her ear to his chest and says softly, "Please be okay...please, please, baby..."

She hears his heart beating steadily. It's not normal, but it's good enough. A healer from the village had apparently heard the news, and is jogging toward them, a sack hanging at her hip. She gently takes Loki from Frigga and lies him down on his stomach. She pushes against his back and water comes out of his mouth. The healer continues this until no more water comes forth. Then she puts him right side up again and gently pats his back.

Loki wakes up spluttering. Some more water comes from his mouth when he does. It's quickly followed by vomit. And a lot of it. The healer holds him up and Frigga keeps his hair back. Thor trembles a little ways back. He's relieved that his brother is still alive, but he can't believe what happened. Loki had almost drowned. And it was all his fault.

When Loki finally finishes upchucking all the water in his stomach, the healer offers him a drink of clean water. He accepts it gratefully, swishing it around in his mouth before spitting it out to the side. Then he takes a real drink of it and swallows. As soon as it is down, he leans into Frigga, sobbing.

"I'm so scared, Mumma..."

Frigga holds him as close as she can. She, too, is crying. She almost lost her little boy. She looks over at Thor, her eyes suddenly aflame.

"Thor! I told you to keep him safe! I told you not to let something like this happen to him. And you did! You let him nearly die in the pond! You _know _he can't swim!"

Thor's lip trembles and he says quietly, "I'm sorry, Mama... We were just playing, and...I didn't know he needed to come up. I'm sorry..."

Frigga leans forward a bit. "_You _were holding him down? What's wrong with you? You could have killed him, Thor! Do you understand? He could have died!"

Thor starts crying in earnest, trembling harder now. Frigga's eyes soften a bit and she opens her arms for him. He gratefully leans into her embrace, sobbing into her shoulder. His friends and the healer stand by silently as the three hold onto one another.

After what feels like forever, Loki says softly, "I'm alright now... It's okay..."

Frigga kisses the top of his head, then kisses Thor's forehead. She stands slowly, holding Loki on her hip.

"Thor, it's time to say goodbye to your friends. You might not see them for a while. You both need to stay home for a bit, I think."  
Thor nods and walks over to the others. He gives them each a hug, tears still running down his face. He then moves back over to Frigga and takes her free hand in his own. She leads him home, walking with all the grace she can muster. Her hair is falling from its braided bun she so laboriously styled that morning. Her dress is caked with mud, and there are tear streaks on her face. Nobody dares to stare at her as she walks by.

* * *

When they get back home, Frigga gives Loki a bath and settles him into bed. He declares that he isn't going to go to sleep until he can see Thor. Frigga allows him this, and pads from the room. A little while later, a knock comes at the door.

"If that's you, Thor, come in," Loki calls softly.

The door opens and Thor comes in. He moves over to Loki's bed and says softly, "I'm sorry I hurt you."  
Loki holds his arms out for a hug and Thor gladly complies. Loki says quietly, "It's okay, Thor. You were only playing. It's okay."

Thor holds him closer. "Thank you, Loki. Thank you for forgiving me. You still like me, right?"

Loki nods and says, "Yes, Thor. I still like you very much. I love you."

Thor looks immensely relieved. He falls asleep beside Loki, both of them smiling slightly.

When Frigga comes in the next morning, she can't help but smile. She rouses them and helps them to brush their hair and pick out what to wear. Then she takes them down to breakfast. They see Odin waiting for them, drinking out of his goblet. His two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, are perched on the back posts of his chair. They cock their heads and watch the boys as they walk in. Odin places his goblet back down on the table and stares at Loki and Thor in silence as they take their seats. Once Frigga is seated as well, he clears his throat.

"I hear you boys had quite the adventure yesterday. Would you care to tell me about it?"

Thor swallows, and while he does so, Loki speaks up. "I nearly drowned, but I had fun otherwise. We played all sorts of games with Thor's friends."

Odin raises an eyebrow. "You almost drowned?"

Loki nods. "Yes, Father. But like I said, I had fun. I'm okay, so everything's fine."

Odin's other eyebrow climbs up to meet the first. "Oh, really?"

Loki nods again and turns to his brother. "Tell him, Thor."

Thor swallows again. He's obviously nervous. He finally says, "Well, Loki did almost drown. It wasn't my fault, though. Fandral said it looked like he farted, and-"

Frigga cuts him off and says to Odin, "One of Thor's friends distracted him, and he nearly killed Loki. But the good news is, nobody was permanently hurt. Eat."

Odin obeys his wife's command, taking a bite of the scrambled eggs from his plate. The boys each eat some as well, not wanting to make their mother any angrier than she already is. Not that she is nearly as angry as she was last night. She seems almost pleasant comparatively.

"Thor, I told your father last night about what happened. He doesn't believe that you should be kept from your friends. He also believes that Loki should be allowed to continue in your games. Just that you should be a little more careful in games such as that. Don't be too distracted when you're holding your brother under the water. And don't play with real weapons. I don't want any heads rolling around, understand?"

Thor nods, eyes wide. He says, "Yes, Mother."

Loki says, "So I'll still be able to play with them?"

Frigga nods and answers, "As long as you are both more careful. Tell your friends, too, Thor. If I hear that either of you are hurt again, you won't be able to go outside the palace grounds without a guard. Is that clear?"

Both boys nod. They are silent for a long time before Odin clears his throat again. They all look up at him, but he doesn't speak yet. He waits a couple more minutes before clearing his throat again.

Finally, he says, "I don't expect you boys to be careful forever. When I was your age, I was doing all sorts of stupid things. I was already out hunting by myself, shooting arrows into trees, and swinging around swords bigger than me. But I know now that my parents were fools for letting me do such things. And I will not make the same mistakes that they did. I will be a better father to you than my father was to me."

Thor and Loki nod at the same time. Neither has anything to say, though. They stare down at their food. It doesn't look as tasty anymore. Even though neither of them is in trouble, they both feel as though they had just been admonished. That automatically makes them less hungry.

After a while, Frigga says quietly, "Odin, didn't you have something else to tell them?"

Odin nods as if he had actually forgotten. "Oh, yes. I have something very special for you out in the stables. Why don't you go look when you've finished your breakfast?"

Thor and Loki can barely contain their excitement. They finish their meal in a rush and hurry back to their bedrooms. They pull on new clothes; the ones from the day before are crumpled from sleeping in them. After Loki is changed, he waits outside Thor's door. The older boy comes out before very long, and the two head off to the stables together.

They meet the stable hands, who smile and wave them in. The stable hands are young men, barely able to grow whiskers. They show Thor and Loki to the last two stalls of the stable. In these stalls are two small horses, still young. One is dark, and the other is a soft tan. On the stall with the dark horse is a note reading, 'Loki', and on the other, a note that says 'Thor'.

The boys are still in wonder. They keep staring at the horses. The dark one seems to stare out at them, eyes sharp. Its ears are pinned back, showing that it is wary. The other horse appears much friendlier. Its eyes are large and round, the color of deep chocolate. Its ears are lifted in curiosity, pricked toward Thor.

One of the stable hands goes over to Thor and says, "She's spirited, that one."  
Thor says softly, "She's pretty, too."

The stable hand nods. He pats Thor's shoulder and says, "She's a fine horse. And by the looks of her, she'll grow to be strong and loyal."

Thor grins. The man moves over to Loki and says, "Yours isn't so mean as she looks. It might take a while for her to warm up to you."

Loki nods, smiling. He asks, "What should I give her to eat?"

The stable hand smiles and says, "I'll feed her. Don't worry about that. But if you two want to give them some carrots, there are some in the corners of the stable. Just don't feed them too many, or they won't have an appetite for their oats."

Thor goes over into the corner and grabs a few carrots for each of the horses. He gives three to Loki and keeps three for himself. Thor's horse takes the carrots eagerly, crunching them happily. Loki's horse takes a little more coaxing, but after a few minutes, she is eating them as eagerly as Thor's.

One of the stable hands asks, "Are you boys going to have lessons in riding, or are you going to wait a while?"

Thor looks up at him and says, "I'm not sure. My father didn't say."

The man nods slightly. He says, "Well, whenever you boys are ready, let me know and I'll be able to teach you. If your father agrees, of course."

Thor nods and turns to Loki. The younger boy is giggling, holding his hand out, palm flat. His horse has already eaten all of her carrots, and she's mouthing his hand, lips flattening on his fingers. Thor grins and laughs quietly. He is very glad that the horse has already warmed up to Loki. His own horse liked them both immediately. She has her ears straight up, watching them with sweet eyes. If Thor didn't know any better, he would say that she was smiling.

After they spend some time with the horses, the boys head back to the palace. They laugh and joke around on their way back. Thor carries Loki on his shoulders so he can see over all the other people in the marketplace. He doesn't like being in such a throng. He hasn't been around this many people before. He has only ever been with the servants and staff in the palace, and they have never been so crowded together. On Thor's shoulders, though, Loki can see over a lot of their heads. Not quite all, but a lot. Mostly because the people out are women. Asgardian men don't usually do much shopping. It is a menial task only for women or children.

Some of the people point at the two princes, smiling. A few children wave at them, and they wave back. When they finally get out of the marketplace, they can see the palace grounds. There are much fewer people in this area. The brothers can hear the people chattering behind them, and they are able to hear some of the people talking about them.

They walk up to the gate, and the guards open it up. The gate is quite a sight, towering a good ten feet tall, and made of solid gold. It is kept well-oiled, so it doesn't squeak when it is opened. It is made up of thick bars, placed too close together to allow anyone to get through the gaps. Loki couldn't even squeeze through, despite how small he is.

Once the boys are through, the guards close the gate again. Both guards are smiling. Seeing the two young princes always makes them happy. Especially when they are together. They just seem so close. They're more like friends than brothers.

The guards up by the huge doors to the palace itself also smile at Thor and Loki as they let the two in. Thor lets his brother down now, and they walk beside one another. Thor peers into the throne room and sees that Odin isn't there. He then leads Loki to their parents' bedchambers and knocks on the door.

"I'll be right there!" comes Frigga's voice from inside the room. She opens the door a moment later, a small smile on her face.

"Mother, can we have riding lessons?" Thor asks, looking hopeful.

Frigga's smile widens a bit as she says, "As long as that's alright with your father. I don't think he'll mind, but he may want you to wait a little while longer."

Thor nods. He looks back as Odin comes through the bathroom door. He has apparently just gotten out of the bath, as his hair, which falls to his shoulders, is still damp. Thor grins, and Loki follows suit. They both look very happy to see their father.

"Father, do you think we could have riding lessons?" Thor asks.

Odin smiles faintly and says, "I knew you'd want them after you met your new horses. However, you have to know that you can't ride them just yet. They're much too small, and they haven't been trained yet. But I'm sure there are some good training steeds in the stables, and you can use those."

Thor grins even more broadly. Loki hops a bit in his excitement. Odin smiles, a gesture that Frigga copies.

"You can start your lessons now, if you like," Odin says.

Thor and Loki both nod. Frigga moves over to the wardrobe and pulls out two boxes. They are about the shape of shoe boxes, but larger. Frigga hands a box to each boy and the boys eagerly open them. When they do so, they find that the boxes each hold a tunic, a pair of pants, and a pair of boots.

"Try them on. If they don't fit, we can go get you some new ones. But you need to wear these when you're riding. That's what they're made for," Frigga says with a smile.

Thor heads to the bathroom, but Loki changes where he is. Frigga helps him into his boots, which lace all the way up. When Thor comes out, they are both dressed. Frigga smiles and helps Thor straighten up his tunic a bit. In his excitement, he had forgotten to lace up the top.

"Now you're ready. Odin, are you going with them?"

Odin nods and says, "Of course. I don't want to miss their first lesson. Don't you want to join us?"

Frigga thinks for a moment before nodding. "I do not have anything else to do, so I suppose I will."

* * *

Two hours later, the stable hand from before is directing the two boys through a riding lesson. Odin and Frigga are watching. Frigga has a smile on her face. She is very proud of her sons. Thor and Loki both picked it up quickly, and they have almost perfectly completed the equivalent of three beginner lessons. The stable hand looks very impressed. He hasn't had any students as adroit as these two.

The lesson lasts for the remainder of the day, and by the time they are done, both boys have sore bottoms. Despite this, they are both happy, and they smile the entire way back to the palace. Odin is smiling as they walk back to the palace. Frigga is holding Thor's hand, and Thor holding Loki's in turn.

Dinner is full of laughter and conversation. They are chatting about the riding lesson, talking about the events of the day before, and laughing about Thor's joke concerning how much his backside hurt. The chefs had prepared a special meal for the night, having heard about the boys' success in their riding lessons. They served Thor's favorite food, shredded lamb covered in goat cheese, and Loki's favorite food, which was pasta with the chef's secret recipe white sauce on top.

After dinner, they sit around the fire and talk about how fun the day was. They can't stop talking about it. Frigga and Odin share a smile as Loki drops off even as he speaks. Thor looks nearly as tired. After he curls up under a blanket and snuggles into a corner of the couch, Frigga leans over toward Odin.

"I think it's time two little ones went to sleep. What do you think?"

Odin nods, smiling slightly. He stands and Frigga follows. They carry the brothers up to their respective bedrooms and tuck them into bed. Thor falls asleep as soon as he's in bed. Odin smiles again and strokes his son's hair back gently. He and Frigga switch places after they have said their goodnights to their sons. Odin goes from Thor's room to Loki's, and Frigga moves from the younger boy's to the older's.

They go to bed after that, the smiles still on their faces.

* * *

**A/N: So, I hope that this was worth the wait. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. I've got two other stories outside of my fanfiction stories that I've been working on. I'm sorry that it took me this long. I really am. If you have time, please leave a review!**


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